1. The Hotel for Living It Up: The Cosmopolitan My favorite hotel in Las Vegas all depends on my mood. For sheer spectacle, no place compares to the year-old Cosmopolitan (a Gold List 2012 hotel). The bold design can be both kitschy (the art collection includes an oversized pink stiletto) and terrifically imaginative (rooms have eclectic mod furnishings and balconies overlooking the Las Vegas Strip), but never dull. The mammoth nightclub Marquee draws big-names and a serious party crowd, while the collection of restaurants include the best restaurants in town and are conveniently located right next to one another (my friend Eric calls it a food court for the top chefs in the country).

1. The Hotel for Lying Low: Four Seasons Las Vegas When I tire of listening to Jay-Z songs or seeing tipsy bachelorettes in hot pants, I seek refuge at the Four Seasons, a rare, intimate retreat in the land of 5,000-bed hotels (with just 424 rooms, it’s practically a B&B.) It occupies a casino-free zone at Mandalay Bay tower (guest rooms are on the 35th to 39th floors). Truthfully, the hotel is looking a little dated these days, and the rooms are woefully low-tech (except for the WiFi), but the beds are still the most comfortable on the Strip and the service is second to none.

1. The Restaurant: China Poblano Chinese-Mexican fusion may sound horribly misguided, but at China Poblano, at the Cosmopolitan hotel, it’s utter genius. Run by José Andrés, (an El Bulli alum and now chef of Bazaar in Los Angeles), China Poblano is more fun and more laid-back than you might expect from a master of molecular gastronomy. Diners sit on long wooden benches beneath giant portraits of Frida Kahlo and Chairman Mao (not together), knock back Andrés’s signature salt-air margaritas, and share small plates of carnitas tacos, sui mai beef, spicy noodles, and other street food staples—most of it extremely tasty and deeply satisfying. There’s even a take-out window for tacos on-the-go, which I think of longingly every time I pass a Chipotle. If only…

1. The Casino: Imperial Palace The Imperial Palace certainly isn’t the most glamorous casino on the Strip—in fact, if it weren’t for Buffalo Bill’s Gambling Hall, it might be considered the tattiest. But the mood is cheery, a handful of blackjack tables are only $5, and, best of all, the Imperial Palace is home to a little-known and highly comical Vegas novelty: Dealtainers. Blackjack dealers-cum-celebrity impersonators who perform on stage in between games. The “celebrity” roster changes periodically, but a recent lineup included Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and Shakira. Unfortunately, the Dealtainers are limited to one small section of the casinos. I guess most gamblers would rather their dealer focus on the game than his upcoming rendition of “Sexy Back.”

1. The Bar: The Mandarin On the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, the Mandarin is a grown-up cocktail bar with knockout views of the Strip and beyond through wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. If you’re in the market for quiet conversation and an expertly made martini, this is the spot. The bar menu is suitably posh—sweetbread popcorn, wagyu beef burgers—and the staff are both polished and extremely gracious. Most people stop in for a drink before dinner, but once you’re settled in at a table by the window, you may be loath to leave.